Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, and India's SpiceJet signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore greater cooperation between the two airlines, including an interline and codeshare agreement, coordinated cargo services, engineering services and pilot training.

The MoU was signed by Kresimir Kucko, Gulf Air’s chief executive officer and Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director at SpiceJet.

Besides looking at a codeshare and interline agreement, the scope of the MoU includes the two airlines exploring growth opportunities beyond network expansion by leveraging each other’s strengths. Gulf Air and SpiceJet will look at collaborating in the field of pilot training to nurture talent in order to deliver the finest resources for both the airlines. The airlines will also engage and collaborate to enhance their respective cargo and engineering services. The signing of this MOU between the two carriers aims at the initiation of collaboration between the two carriers, and further strengthening the strong ties between India and Bahrain.

Kucko said: “This is a historic event for both Gulf Air and SpiceJet as we strengthen commercial ties between the two carriers; creating more choices for our valued passengers to explore new cities across our networks. We have a longstanding relationship with the Republic of India and we feel proud to work closely with our friends at SpiceJet.”

Singh added: “I am extremely happy at the signing of this MoU and the beginning of this new partnership between SpiceJet and Gulf Air. This partnership will immensely benefit the two airlines and our passengers in times to come. These are exciting times for SpiceJet as we pursue our international expansion plan. We are developing an extensive portfolio of destinations both at home and in international markets. The Middle East has always been among our top priority markets. This agreement is going to play a very important role in SpiceJet’s next phase of growth as we continue to explore the innumerable opportunities around us.”

Gulf Air currently operates 82 weekly flights to eight destinations in India: Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Cochin, Hyderabad, Calicut and Bangalore. SpiceJet currently operates flights to more than 50 destinations within the Republic of India. - TradeArabia News Service